Former Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chairman Najam Sethi has made a shocking statement about the dramatic behind-the-scenes strife that almost stopped Pakistan from playing in the Asia Cup 2025. Sethi said that PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi was so upset after the very public “handshake saga” after the team’s match against India that he decided to pull the squad out of the tournament.
The Crisis Averted: Sethi Takes Action
Sethi told Samaa TV that he and Ramiz Raja, another former chairman, had an emergency meeting with Naqvi just a few hours before Pakistan’s must-win game against the UAE. Sethi said he had to act to stop what he called “irreparable damage” to Pakistan cricket, even if his friends told him not to. He said that if they pulled out, they may have faced penalties from the Asian Cricket Council (ACC) and the International Cricket Council (ICC), lost international players in the Pakistan Super League (PSL), and lost a lot of money—over $15 million—in television rights. In the end, the meeting changed Naqvi’s mind, and the team played as planned.
The fight started after India refused to shake hands with the Pakistani players after they won easily. The PCB filed a formal protest with the ICC, saying that match referee Andy Pycroft had handled the matter poorly and asking for his removal. The ICC, on the other hand, supported Pycroft, saying he had just sent along a message from the ACC venue manager.
In a further escalation, the PCB sent out a press release saying that Pycroft had apologized for the incident. The ICC quickly denied this, saying that he had just said he was “sorry” for a miscommunication. The ICC also said that the PCB broke the Players and Match Officials Area (PMOA) code by taping a private meeting between Pycroft and team officials.
The immediate problem was solved, but the effects are still being felt. The ICC hasn’t punished anyone yet for breaking the rules, which has made things heated between the PCB and the governing bodies.